High-Yield Tourism

A New Era of High-Yield Tourism in Thailand, with Chattan Kunjara, Tourism Authority of Thailand

"The pandemic changed everything." In 2019, Thailand received almost 40 million visitors but a two-year border closure saw "the travel industry basically shut down" during Covid. Chattan Kunjara recently retired after a 37-year career at the Tourism Authority of Thailand, achieving the title of Deputy Governor. In a compelling chat, he tells Gary and Jens how Thailand has turned around its tourism strategy since 2022 with meticulous segmentation and market diversification at the core. In 2025, Thailand expects to surpass 2019 tourism arrivals, but the inbound mix and tourism marketing techniques continue to adapt to evolving regional realities. Khun Chattan explains the process of embracing Soft Power - through the 5Fs of Film, Fashion, Food, Fight and Festivals - as a competitive advantage in South East Asia. He also whispers some secrets about bringing The White Lotus: Season 3, which airs in February, to Thailand - and the novel storytelling angles this globally popular TV series provides to entice high-yield tourists. 
 
as the competition to attract visitors intensifies in South East Asia. 

Rethinking High-Yield Tourism for Muslim Travellers, with Fazal Bahardeen, CrescentRating

The multi-segmented Muslim travel market is rapidly growing and diversifying – and becoming increasingly influential in global tourism. This week, Gary and Jens welcome Fazal Bahardeen, Founder of Singapore-based CrescentRating, to discuss how destinations are rethinking their approach to Muslim tourism. Fazal explains the halal travel segments that are best suited to high-yield tourism, and provides fascinating case studies from his recent work in Hong Kong, New York and Malaga. He also discusses the 10th anniversary edition of the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index which will be published in 2025. 

Building High-Yield Tourism into Australia's Visitor Economy Diversification Strategy, with Samantha Palmer, AusTrade

Since reopening in 2022, Australia has implemented an International Diversification Strategy for its Visitor Economy. This week, Gary welcomes Samantha Palmer, General Manager of Visitor Economy & Client Programs at AUSTRADE for an in-depth chat about using research and industry insights to rethink every aspect of the visitor economy ecosystem - from indigenous tourism to mountain biking, and edutourism to seasonality and identifying the expectations of visitors from South East Asian markets.

Is High-Yield Tourism Luxury Tourism in Disguise?

This week, Gary and Jens discuss the changing economics of tourism in the post-pandemic era, and argue that irrational labels like 'mass' and 'luxury' simply don't work any more. Myriad factors will drive strategy shifts to focus not only on profit and resilience in tourism, but also the costs, leakages and societal impacts. So, where is the intrinsic value in modern tourism? What is 'organic pushback'? And how do destinations calculate their own natural ceiling for volume-driven tourism?

Building High-Yield Tourism into Lifetime Experiences in Nepal, with Raj Gyawali, Social Tours

Jens enjoys an illuminating discussion with Raj Gyawali, Founder of Social Tours in Nepal. Jens and Raj explore a range of concepts, including Lifetime Experiences, Narrative Storytelling, Seasonal Discovery, Sustainable Regeneration and Spiritual Adventure, in this beautiful Himalayan nation, which offers so much more for high-yield travellers than soaring mountains.

Developing High-Yield Tourism in Canada's 'Wild Side', with Jon Mamela, Travel Alberta

Gary and Jens chat to Jon Mamela, Chief Commercial Officer of Travel Alberta about developing high-yield tourism in one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces. Promoted as Canada’s Wild Side, Alberta is home to destinations like Lake Louise, Banff and Jasper National Park. Jon discusses Travel Alberta's new strategic approach as the province positions tourism as a pillar of economic diversification.

Rethinking Culture, Heritage & Diversity in High-Yield Tourism, with Hafsa H. Mbamba & Enver Duminy

What is the role of cultural stewardship in new tourism strategies? This week, Gary welcomes Hafsa H. Mbamba, CEO of the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, and Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, to discuss how cultural heritage is being reframed to support market diversification. We explore strategies and practices that empower local communities, preserve cultural heritage, and ensure that tourism delivers positive outcomes for both visitors and local populations.

Leveraging Local Gastronomy Trends into High-Yield Tourism

Gary and Jens reflect on their trip to Cebu, the Philippines, to attend the 1st UN Tourism Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia Pacific. The event formed part of the annual UN Tourism Commission Meeting for East Asia & the Pacific and South Asia. It brought together official delegations from across the region to discuss the future of culinary tourism in the context of post-pandemic re-growth and social-evonomic development. A closing Call to Action identified 12 key factors to consider. 

Managing High-Volume Tourism is Becoming a Priority Worldwide

Gary and Jens have been travelling around Asia, Europe and the Middle East over the past month speaking at travel conferences and in the media to discuss high-yield tourism strategies. In episode 3, we review how tourism leaders gathered at events in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Macao, Dubai, Barcelona & Kathmandu are confronting the challenges of high-volume tourism. The issue is gaining urgency as the northern hemisphere summer season threatens to break historic records. 

Applying High-Yield Tourism in Dynamic Asian Markets

In episode 2, Gary and Jens discuss High-Yield Tourism within Asia Pacific’s dynamic growth context. The journey takes us from Thailand and Singapore to China, Japan and South Korea and Mongolia and Saudi Arabia. Travellers across the region are living out their lifestyle passions when they travel - and destinations and tourism brands are seeking to respond. But visitor numbers are rising fast once again bringing new challenges. Plus, does backpacking in Asia fit the high-yield model?